NSERC CREATE in Engineering Health Equity Training Program
Undergraduate Students - Frugal Biomedical Summer Research Internships
Application Deadline: January 26, 2026 (11:59pm)
Award Duration: Full-time (35 hours/week) from May-August. Approximately 16 weeks.
Award Value: $ 9,856 (same value as NSERC-USRA).
Project Descriptions: Projects are available online and are updated as new projects are submitted. Check back regularly for updates.
Students will apply the principles of frugal innovation to design, prototype, and test biomedical technologies intended for use in low-resource settings in Northern Canadian communities and/or sub-Saharan Africa. Frugal does not mean cheap. It means designing and implementing technology based on what works for the people on the ground.
Frugal innovation is an emerging paradigm in engineering that emphasizes equity and sustainability in technology development. For biomedical applications, frugal innovation leads to devices that can be used effectively in regions with shortages of specialist personnel, maintained with limited access to replacement components, and function reliably in the absence of reliable power or other infrastructure.
Graduate Students - Engineering Health Equity Fellowship
Applications for Winter 2026 are now Closed.
This innovative training program empowers students with the knowledge and tools to solve complex global health challenges through an interdisciplinary approach that brings together engineering, science, and business.
Participants will:
- Gain hands-on experience in frugal and equitable innovation
- Work collaboratively across disciplines to design real-world health solutions
- Develop professional and leadership skills to become global health change-makers
Join a diverse community of researchers, practitioners, and mentors dedicated to advancing health equity worldwide.
Applying consists of 4 Steps:
Step 1: Read the Fellowship Instructions
Step 2: Complete the Application
Step 3: Have your Supervisor to Fill out the Supervisor Acknowledgement Form
Step 4: Email completed Applications and Supervisor Acknowledgement by the deadline of Monday, November 10 to Kathryn Thomas - kwhitin5@uwo.ca
Application Eligibility:
To be eligible for an EHE Graduate Fellowship, applicants must be currently enrolled in, or have received an offer of admission to a thesis-based master's or doctoral program at Western University. You do not have to be studying in Engineering to participate - Graduate students from a diverse range of disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Funding:
Engineering Health Equity Graduate Fellowships are valued at $15,000 per year. Fellowships can be renewed for additional years. Renewal of funding is contigent upon satisfactory participation by the trainee in all required activities:
- Communities of Practice (CoPs)
- Annual retreat
- Field Research Placement (Mobility Experience)
- Demonstration of satisfactory progress in a research project that is within the scope of the program
Note: for guidelines on use of AI in Graduate-level applications, see the Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies website.
"The FBIP really solidified my choice in not just being a mechanical engineer but a biomedical engineer as well. I got to see how in the real world I would get to use both degrees to solve problems and how both perspectives … feed into each other. I got to take the knowledge that I gained from the program and put it back into the project in order to see further progress and success. And that was really satisfying."
Inthu Thayalan
4th year Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering
"One of the great things about working on a project that has a real-world impact is that I get to have this feeling that I am actually making a difference and that the results of my project will actually be implemented into real life clinical settings in particular low resource settings".
Ann Ping
BMSc’23 Medical Biophysics
"I think the community is the best part of the Frugal Biomedical Program. Having an opportunity to meet people from other programs who are doing different projects has been a really great experience for me".
Christopher Waring
4th year Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
